Festival puts film lovers together with filmmakers

The third annual Skyline Indie Film Festival in Winchester will feature more opportunities for attendees to socialize and network between screenings of diverse and international films.

Festival Director Brian Patrick said he’s expecting around 1,000 attendees people to see the 42 films selected for screenings this year. A reception and toast at the Winchester Book Gallery will kick off the festival on Thursday, and the various screenings and social events will run through Sunday afternoon.

“This year there’s something to do, if you’re interested, to meet and network with filmmakers every single day,” he said.

One major event at the festival will be the returning Filmmaker’s Panel and Q&A, to be held at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Radiant Room above Bright Box Theater. There, attendees will have the chance to get closer to some of the featured filmmakers’ lives and work.

“There’s no VIP lounge, there’s no green room … if you’re part of the festival, you’re part of the festival,” Patrick said.

Screening passes for the entire weekend are available for $50, while individual tickets to see films or collections of shorts are $10.

A seven-person panel of screeners with backgrounds in film reviewed 115 submissions this year, an increase over last year by about 20 percent, according to Patrick. A panel of judges selected festival award-winning films in several different categories like Best Story and Best Short.

Although the selection and expected attendance has increased, Patrick said there are fewer films shown this year at fewer venues. Films will be shown at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Dharma Yoga Studio, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley or Bright Box Theater.

“It’s just easier logistically; we concentrate the audience,” he said. “I think we’re just making smarter decisions.”

Instead of certain films being screened multiple times on different days at different venues, it’ll be easier for those with full-weekend screening passes to make the most of their time and money by hitting multiple films.

This year, the festival is also switching formats over from Blu-ray and DVD discs to digital copies.

Feature films shown at the film fest’s various locations will include “Jobriath, A.D.,”“H.,”“Deep Web,”“Exists,”“Long Way to the Top,”“Wildlike,”“Romeo is Bleeding,”“Krisha” and “Out of the Fire.”

While festival directors had big plans for Skyline during its first year, Patrick said the event will continue to rely on well-received films for slow and steady growth.

“We’ve built our blocks as diverse as we can without making them too insane,” he said. “I would just hope that we keep getting good content that the audience enjoys.”